Four

Fayette Middle School students and their teacher

will make history March 20 when they ceremonially

plant several trees native to Georgia at the

Chateau de Versailles in France.

Based

on their well-composed papers outlining their

reasons for making the trip, Sara Keene, Amy

Bloomfield, Mandi Woodruff and Mary Moore,

accompanied by their teacher Carol Pruett, will

take off for the ultimate field trip March 18 and

return March 22.

The

girls will take part in the planting of two tulip

poplars, a cypress and an oak, in an effort to

replace some of the many trees destroyed in

December by an unprecedented ice storm that

ripped through Paris and the surrounding

countryside. In addition to the four tulip poplar

trees donated by Fayetteville's Andy's Nursery,

The Scotts Co. purchased six large and 100 small

historic trees from American Forests, a nonprofit

conservation group, dedicated caring for trees

and forest. American Forests was founded in 1875

and grows direct offspring historic trees at

their Jacksonville, FL facility. The Georgia

Forestry Association is donating 5000 seedlings

to be planted at Versailles, public parks and

forests in France.

According

to Woodruff, "Many of the trees that were

brutally damaged or destroyed in this ice storm

were planted by Gen. Marquis de LaFayette, whose

name has been bestowed upon many of our home

town's schools and centers. LaFayette visited the

United States for a year on invitation of

Congress, who voted him a gift of $200,000 and a

large tract of land. He then returned to Paris,

where he planted the famous trees indigenous to

our land at the Chateau de Versailles."

Arrangements

for the trip were made by Dean Breest, a

Fayetteville parent and an Air France employee.

All expenses will be paid for the girls and their

teacher by Air France. Breest and his family will

meet the Fayetteville contingent in Paris.

To

say the Paris-bound students are excited is an

understatement. "I hope we get to do some

shopping," said one of the young travelers.

"I just want to go to the top of the Eiffel

Tower," added another, as all the girls

talked in unison about their expectations for the

trip.

Pruett

said the girls will be required to keep a journal

of their travels and she intends to have them see

as much as possible in Paris and, of course,

Versailles.

Their

reasons for wanting to visit Versailles share a

similar theme. "There are many reasons why I

would like to make history, not just to see

Versailles Palace, but to get to do something

that will have an impact on my home county and in

Paris, France... There would always be a shared

history for me between my home in Fayetteville,

named for a famous Frenchman, and his home

country," wrote Sara Keene.

"At

age 17, General LaFayette was already at

Versailles. I aspire to be there at age 12,"

wrote Mary Moore. "I am saddened by the loss

of the trees because they were a legacy for so

many countries around the world. By replacing

these lost trees, we hope to reveal our

patriotism and good will to our allies in France.

To plant these trees would be like planting a

little bit of Georgia in Paris," she

explained.

For

Woodruff, the trip would also be inspiring.

"Being an amateur poet, a trip to Paris,

France would also give me inspiration and expand

my horizons in unimaginable ways. Visiting Paris

has been my lifelong dream since I first began

writing, and I have dedicated many arduous hours

of labor to excel in school so that I may one day

have the chance to travel to France and other

lands abroad. Winning this contest is my chance

to fulfill one of my greatest dreams..."

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